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From a training camp deal to making the regular season roster to a stamping a role in the main rotation, Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter has enjoyed an impactful first month in Sky Town.
The Texas A&M product earned her way into a situation that not only fits in role and context for her, but it’s also one that she — in role and context — serves as a puzzle piece tailormade for the team.
Carter is averaging 12.5 PPG, compiling 100 points through eight games — which are both league-best marks for reserves.
Scoring is far from foreign to her, as in her rookie campaign with the Atlanta Dream, she averaged 17.4 PPG.
The efficiency shift is what’s been dramatic, as her field goal percentage of 51.8 percent ranks 87th percentile in the league. Additionally, from two, where a majority of her field goal attempts come from, she’s at 54.5 percent.
Zoom in on her drives and their impact both for herself and her teammates and her games being encapsulated.
She’s averaging 8.8 points in the paint per game, a mark that is also league-best for guards, while also being second in fast break points amongst guards, with 3.1 per.
At the rim, she’s shooting 69 percent on 5.3 attempts per game, both of which rank second in the league.
The Chicago Sky are 15.4 points per 100 possessions better with Carter on the floor this season offensively, than when she rests — with an offensive rating of 106.2 which ranks on par with the best offensive rating in the WNBA.
Add the context of her scoring in double figures in each of the team’s last seven games now, and you can see how a player of her caliber is seeing the shift she has.
Her exuberant and expressive personality is embraced and implored to give in energy to her teammates.
That has come with a demand on the defensive end for Chennedy, from coach Teresa Weatherspoon.
Carter spoke glowingly about Weatherspoon and their relationship on Media Day, including in response to a question of mine.
That, in turn, has given Weatherspoon much more opportunity in optimizing Carter, while also generating a level of buy-in needed to greatly benefit their context as a whole.
We’ve also seen Carter enjoy plenty of very impactful moments defensively.
I spoke with Carter after Tuesday’s game on that exact dynamic:
The foundation laid by Carter in the context of Weatherspoon’s culture and rendition of the Chicago Sky has played greatly in Carter establishing an early season resume in stats and impact that suggest a Sixth Player of the Year and Most Improved Player candidacy is legit and something to keep an eye on as the season goes forward.
Her performance on Saturday, the first of two where she’s now led the Chicago Sky in scoring, spoke in abundance on film to how well she’s integrated into Weatherspoon’s Sky context.
The two-way impact she’s been able to stamp on the team while doing so functionality-wise in manners they certainly need, especially from her, speaks to the aforementioned reciprocated mutuality in fit.
Sky lineups feed off the positively unpredictable nature of her game, and it all serves as a true spark that is synonymous with the energy she — the person — brings to any space she enters.
As the regular season marathon continues for the Sky, and they continue to establish their foundation, Chennedy Carter’s prolific two-way impacts and exuberance will grow even more as a staple, as she’s found a WNBA home to fully, unapologetically, be herself.
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